The rotary cutter industry currently utilizes a variety of suspension systems for primary use on pull-type, flex-wing and rigid rotary cutters. Most use coil spring designs, rubber block designs, or an air bag design. Those suspension system designs are incorporated into the individual axle arms or cylinder lug portions of the axle or chassis. Significant disadvantages of those designs may include increased wear points due to required linkages and high spring rates necessary to control the static and dynamic loadings.
An example of an air bag design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,980 B2 issued Jul. 22, 2003, which illustrates that an air spring may be coupled between a strut and a forward end of a rocker arm, and a pneumatic shock absorber may be coupled between the rocker arm and the strut at a location between the air spring and the connection of the rocker arm with the strut. While that design may provide for an effective suspension system, the design requires both air springs or air bags in addition to pneumatic shock absorbers. Those additional parts require increased maintenance and are both complicated in design. Also, extra installation and repair are required on those additional linkages.
It would be a significant advancement in the art to provide an improved suspension system for rotary cutters that is simpler and easier to maintain.